SCOTLAND — Rory McIlroy will take a one-shot lead into the weekend at the Genesis Scottish Open as he goes in search of a second consecutive Rolex Series triumph at The Renaissance Club.
The World No. 3 on Saturday put on a stunning display of iron play in a 66 that moved him to 10 under on a day when heavy rain on Scotland’s Golf Coast tested the world’s very best.
England’s Tyrrell Hatton mastered the conditions as he carded a DP World Tour career-low 62 to sit at nine under alongside South Korean pair Byeong-hun An and Tom Kim, who fired rounds of 70 and 65 respectively.
McIlroy is the reigning European No. 1 and sits atop the Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex after he added to his Major Championship, World Golf Championships, FedEx Cup, and Ryder Cup-winning CV with a maiden Rolex Series win at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic in January.
The Northern Irishman is now in pole position for DP World Tour win number 16 before the focus turns to end his nine-year wait for a fifth Major at next week’s Open Championship — staged at Royal Liverpool, where he lifted the Claret Jug in 2014.
His advantage could have been even greater had he made a number of putts from inside 10 feet, but the 34-year-old was happy with his day’s work in North Berwick.
“I hit the ball really well tee-to-green, gave myself a ton of looks,” he said. “Honestly it felt like four under was probably the worst I could have shot out there.”
“But you know, it’s swings and roundabouts. I holed a couple of long ones yesterday to shoot a good score and then missed a couple of today but overall, really pleased with how the last two days went.”
“I don’t really have any expectations. It would be silly of me to try to pick a potential target score to get to.”
“So really, just embrace the conditions and make the best of them. But I know that I’m playing well enough tee-to-green to give myself some looks and hang in there, so I’m pretty confident going into the next two days no matter what the weather throws at us.”
An started the day with a two-shot lead and it was a long time before anyone could get past him, with countryman Kim being the man to eventually hit double figures.
The man who finished third here last year took advantage of the two par fives on the back nine and put an approach to three feet at the 11th but he also bogeyed the 13th to turn in 33.
Approaches to two feet at the first and second kickstarted his round and he holed a 12-footer at the fourth and hit a smart tee shot into the par-three sixth to get to ten under but then bogeyed the ninth to drop alongside Hatton.
The four-time Rolex Series winner had got up and down for a birdie on the par-five tenth and followed that with a seven-footer on the next before dropping his only shot of the day on the 12th.
He almost holed his tee-shot at the par-three 14th, made another up-and-down on the par-five 16th, and then holed from just off the green at the 18th before leaving himself two feet on the first.
He completed the set at the par-five third, birdied the short par-four fifth after leaving himself a flick in, and then holed a 14-footer on the difficult eighth to join the early lead.
McIlroy got off to a stunning start in the afternoon, showcasing the iron play that would become the hallmark of his round as he holed from inside six feet at the first and sixth and two-putted the third.
An was out in the very last group of the day and he also made the most of the third to get to ten under but was joined there by McIlroy who, after spurning good chances on the eighth and tenth, left himself just three feet on the 11th after a deft pitch.
An edged ahead as he drove the green at the fifth but then chipped his second to set up a tap-in, with McIlroy joining him again as he holed from just off the green at the 14th. europeantour.com
A pair of An three-putts on the eighth and tenth had McIlroy two ahead but he dropped his only shot of the day after missing the green at the 17th and An bounced back from ten feet at the 11th to tie the lead before making a bogey on the 12th.
American duo Sam Burns and Brian Harman were at eight under after a pair of 65s, a shot clear of World Number One Scottie Scheffler, three-time Major Champion Pádraig Harrington and Dane Nicolai Højgaard.
Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts made the 30th hole-in-one of the season and the first of his nearly 23-year professional career as he holed a pitching wedge from 174 yards on the par-three 14th.
Due to forecasted inclement weather, round three will be a two-tee start between 07:00 and 09:12 in three balls. europeantour.com
